Second Time's the Charm
by Pillsburydoughcat
Summary: It's been almost eight years since Leigh Ann's husband died and two since she last went on an adventure with Nathan Drake. But when Nate pulls himself out of retirement to save his (charming) older brother he'll need her help to do it. Join Leigh Ann on her adventure as she faces her past and questions if she's really ready to find love again. I guess the second time's the charm.
1. Chapter 1- Return

When I received a phone call one fall morning, one of the last people I expected it to be from was Nathan Drake. Well, that's not entirely true. We were friends after all and had been for a quite a few years now. Granted we didn't see each other that often since he retired from treasure hunting but him, Elena, and I were still very close. Nevertheless I was still shocked when he informed me of the purpose of his call.

"We're what now?" I asked.

"We're going to Italy." He answered.

"That's very forward of you, Nate, but I thought you were married."

"Haha," he replied, dryly. I knew he was married. And he knew that I knew. I was at the wedding for God's sake, "I'm afraid this is business, not pleasure. There's going to be an auction soon that's holding an artifact we need."

"You keep saying we," he had piqued my interest now, "You know I'm always up for adventure, but if I'm not mistaken you've retired from treasure hunting, correct?"

"Well, yes," he started nervously, "but we includes someone else now. Someone important to me is in a lot of trouble and he needs our help."

"How much trouble is a lot?"

"His life is riding on us finding a treasure."

Shit. That was a lot. This guy must be really important to Nate to make him leave his normal life for him.

"Aw, jeez, Nate," I began, "when you put it like that..."

"So you'll help me out on this one? I could really use an extra hand." I could practically hear the desperation in his voice now.

"Of course. What are life and death adventure friends for, right?"

"Thanks, Leigh Ann," his tone immediately perked up, "I knew I could count on you."

"Yeah, yeah. So what about this auction?"

"Right, nothing we're not used to. Black market. Valuable artifacts. Rich con-men secretly plotting to kill each other. That sort of thing," Nate explained.

"A typical day at the office, right?"

"Pretty much. It's being held at the Rossi Estate in three days."

"The Rossi Estate..," I questioned, more to myself, "This is really high dollar then."

"Exactly, so we'll need to look the part, too."

Crap. There was the catch. It wasn't that I minded dressing up. I was actually pretty good at it. I just didn't do it very often, so I wasn't ever really prepared for occasions like this.

"Thanks for telling me on such short notice," I half-joked, "I don't think I own a single evening gown."

"Ah, I'm sure you'll throw something together in time," he replied. I could almost see him smiling at my frustration, the cocky idiot, "Besides, it's not all bad. You'll get to see us in tuxes."

"Don't get a big head, Mr. Drake. You don't clean up that nicely," I lied. I couldn't help it. He was annoying me and I wanted to take him down a few pegs. It didn't work however.

"That's a lie and you know it, Leigh Ann. I know for a fact if you could see me in a suit every day you would." He was enjoying making me angry with his banter now. I only wish I could've stayed angry at him.

I chuckled as I said, "Okay, you got me on that one. I must have something lying around. Don't you worry, I'll be ready. But I have one more question."

"What's that?"

"What artifact are we going after?"

"It's a wooden cross. A depiction of St. Dismas. I'm sure you're familiar with him?"

Of course I was familiar. I had grown up Christian. I knew Nate was raised Catholic and I was a Baptist so there were some obvious differences in our beliefs, but neither of us were very religious so it didn't come up much.

"Yeah, I know who he was. Why do we need the cross?"

"It holds a clue to finding a 300 year old pirate treasure. One of the largest in the world."

"Which pirate was it?" I wasn't a huge authority on pirates, but I knew the bigger names well enough. I was no historian either, but I prided myself on what knowledge I had accumulated over the years adventuring with Nate, Elena, and Sully, whether it be learnt from Nate's extensive knowledge or through my own studies. But the name I heard through the phone shocked me.

"Henry Avery."


	2. Chapter 2- Escape

**Thank you so much to everybody that has given this a follow and the one who gave it a favorite! I honestly didn't expect this story to get so much attention. I'm sorry there was such a gap in between the publish date of the first chapter and this one, I recently had to reinstall Microsoft office and last week I was away at band camp. But, without further ado I give you my second chapter. It was painful to write which is why its alternate title is Exposition. Thank you.**

I wasn't much of an expert on pirates. I much preferred the history of ancient Greece, or rather the mythology of it; that can hardly be called history, though it did greatly influence the culture of the Grecian people. Truth be told, the only true authority I had on history was in music and art. Even so, when Nate mentioned the name of one of the most infamous British pirates of his time only one thing came to mind: the Gunsway Heist. One of the largest heists in pirate history with an estimated take of 400 million dollars in today's money, it left countless innocent lives ruined with the bloody trail of destruction left in its wake. One of the only things I learned through research of him was that Avery was a complete psychopath. This I knew for sure, as with all of the adventures I had been on with Nate, this one was sure to be rich in history.

Nate was very vague over the phone. Then again, it was Nate. He was always vague. One of his worst habits was to ramble on about "Oh my God, that's so obvious." or "Why didn't I see this before?" when he had discovered something rather than tell the rest of us just what the hell he was talking about. There were only a few things he had made clear about this auction: we were trying to steal a cross of St. Dismas, the cross held a clue to finding Henry Avery's hidden treasure, we needed to find the treasure to pay off the debt of someone important to Nate, and the someone important was named Sam. This was just like Nate. Only give the bare minimum of information required to complete a job and then explain along the way. I knew it would be a lot easier the second he told me that Sully would be accompanying us. It would be way simpler to get information out of him because he always wanted to know every single detail of a job before he got onboard. I suppose I did, too, but I didn't want to bombard Nate with questions over the phone. Talking to Sully in person would be much less difficult.

Luckily it would be a while until Nate and his partner arrived through the window to the room Sully and I were going to be waiting in. It would be next to impossible to get answers out of him once the plan was in full effect anyway. As we walked up the stairs towards one of the massive estate's many lounges I began to ask Sully all of the questions I'd been holding on to since Nate called.

"Your protégé was about as clear as mud when he explained what we were doing here."

"I take it you don't just mean this auction." Sully replied.

"No, I don't." I said, "He hardly told me anything about the real reason behind this job."

"And I take it you want the answers from me, right?"

"That would be helpful. You never seem to mind berating him with questions before a job."

"Yeah, well," he sighed, "gotta know what we're dealing with, right? What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters, how did this Sam rack up a big enough debt that it needed a 300 year old pirate treasure to pay it off?" That was it. That one simple question encompassed all of the information Nate gave me. Even so it was easy to deduce some things from it. Whoever Sam owed the money to must be either pretty dangerous or crazy to threaten him with his life if he didn't deliver within three months. But it was also oddly specific that they were demanding a cut from a 17th century pirate's fortune.

"Oh, God, where do I begin?" he questioned back, chuckling slightly, "Well, about fifteen years ago he and Nate were searching for this same treasure, Henry Avery's. They were working with another guy named Rafe Adler. Rich asshole type," he added with a smirk, "Adler bribed a prison warden to get them into a Panamanian jail to investigate the ruins of an old fort that used to be part of the jail during Avery's time." Sully then proceeded to tell me of what transpired in the prison. The first cross of St. Dismas, Rafe killing the warden in cold blood, and their daring escape that eventually led to what Nate thought was Sam's death. He survived and had been in that same prison for the last fifteen years. Everything Nate had dug up about the incident confirmed that he was dead and the officials intended to keep it that way. By killing that warden Rafe had induced a full scale riot. The prison guards wanted to see Sam rot in his cell for the rest of his life. And he nearly did. I know understood the reason Nathan was so desperate to complete this job. Sam had finally gotten free from the imprisonment he had suffered for fifteen years and now his life was threatened by something else entirely. I listened intently as Sully recounted what little of the story Nate had told him about his friend's escape.

Normally one wouldn't tell others the full extent of what a desired treasure was worth, but I'm sure Sam hadn't really thought he would ever escape to find it. Unfortunately, in telling his him his dream of finding Avery's 400 million in gold and jewels, the infamous drug lord Hector Alcazar now wanted a cut. And he wanted it badly. You might wonder how in the hell did he even get mixed up with the Butcher of Panama. Sometimes it simply comes down to fate. For the past year Sam and Alcazar had been cell mates. It was then fate that led Alcazar to have Sam accompany him in his escape and then subsequently force him to find the treasure within three months. Funny how life works.

It was a lot to take in. I couldn't blame myself; I wanted answers and I had gotten them. I appreciated the gravity of the situation a whole more, though. I always wanted to help those in need, even if it meant danger was involved, but this… this was a _lot_ of danger. Still, it was for Nathan and if this Sam (whoever the hell he was) was so important that he would come out of his treasure hunting retirement then that was good enough for me.


	3. Chapter 3- Estate

**SO sorry again for the long time in between updates! And sorry this one is a little shorter than the last .I've been really busy lately with band camp and AP class homework. And thank you so much again to those of you who have favorited, followed, and reviewed!**

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I was focused so intently on listening to Sully answer my question that I hadn't even realized that we had already entered the room we were headed to. Before I knew it he was making his way over to a window and cracking it open. Soon he was getting comfortable on one of the lounge's many sofas and lighting a cigar.

"Well," he said after taking a long drag, "I guess that about covers it. Anything else you want to know?"

"No," I reply, "that answered all three of my other questions, too. And probably some more I could have come up with along that way." We exchanged smirks, "Always full of mystery, that Nathan. In the almost eight years I've known him he's never told me once about that. I'm sure there are plenty of other stories like that, though."

"Yeah, well, understandably so. I didn't think he'd ever bring it up again but here we are." And with that he leaned over and pulled the chain on a nearby lamp a few times, giving the signal for Nate to start heading our way from the outside. I always hated this part of a job. Just sitting around waiting made me anxious. Sully must have noticed my tension through the silence.

"You worry too much, darlin'. They'll get here soon enough. Just try and make a grand entrance." He turned around and gave me a reassuring smile and I couldn't help but relax. Sully always knew what to say to me, even if there weren't many words. The moment we met we both took a liking to each other. We seemed to be equal parts wit as well as tongue. Making sure Nate didn't do anything too stupid was a hobby that he, Elena, and I now shared. He had made it his responsibility to watch over Nate like a father some twenty years ago but he had also done the same for me almost eight years ago.

Right, a grand entrance. If there was one thing I was good at it was being stealthy. I was sure I could just melt into the shadows and then reappear from the darkness when the right time arrived. Coming up with a witty remark to announce my presence wouldn't be that hard either. I backed into a corner of the room and started inspecting the books on the shelves. I had become rather absorbed in one particular piece of Italian literature and almost didn't notice the window Sully had unlocked earlier swinging open wider. As I watched two figures climb through the window I heard a voice call out from the darkness.

"Sully?"

"You know what I love about partying with a bunch of crooks?" Sully turned on the lamp again, bathing the immediate area in light, "Nobody cares if you smoke indoors." He beamed up at Nate, cigar hanging from his mouth. The two men hugged and shared words of welcoming as I stepped out of my corner.

"I mind a little, y'know." All three of them turned to face me before Nate and Sully started laughing. The other man, who I could only assume to be Nate's partner, Sam, just stood there, eyes wide. I could tell he wasn't expecting a woman. It wouldn't surprise me if Nate didn't tell him about me at all. Nate walked over, arms open.

"It's been a while, Leigh Ann." We embraced, "Thanks again for coming."

"Yeah, well, life and death adventure friends, right? It's good to see you again." I pulled away and grinned up at him.

"You, too." He smiled back.

I walked toward his friend who had just finished greeting Sully and held out a hand toward him. "I suppose I should introduce myself. Leigh Ann Brook." His expression relaxed greatly and I swore I could almost see the ghost of a smirk as he took my hand in his own.

"Samuel Drake." He lifted my hand to his mouth and gently placed a kiss on top of it.

"Drake?" I questioned, turning my head towards Nate again. As far as I was aware he didn't have any blood relatives left.

"Oh, right," Nate responded sheepishly, "he's my brother. Did I forget to mention that?"

"Must have slipped your mind. I'll add it to the list." I said, facing Sam again. "Your brother always leaves out the most important parts, do you know that?"

He chuckled and the corners of his grayish-blue eyes crinkled. "Yeah, he does that sometimes." He replied looking down at me. Even with my heels on he was a good five inches taller than me. "Do you know that dress looks amazing on you?" I blushed at his simple comment. It had been a while since I had received a compliment like that. It wasn't anything special, anyway. The only thing interesting about it was that it was backless and had a generous slit up the thigh that under different circumstances I probably wouldn't have been comfortable wearing. However, it would help with mobility if, God forbid, we had to make a quick escape.

I could tell he was probably just being a flirt but it was still a very nice thing to say. I said my thanks a little less coherently than I normally would and took a step back, "Well, let's go get that cross, shall we?"

"Yeah, about that," said Sully, "C'mon, let me show you something."

As I followed close behind Sully to leave the room I could hear the two brothers talking quietly to each other.

"Still wish I hadn't invited her?" Nate asked.

"I might reconsider."

"Yeah, well she's not just a pretty face. She happens to be a top notch adventurer. And stop staring at her like that, she'll kick your ass." I couldn't help but smile.


	4. Chapter 4- Estate Pt 2

**Hello, I'm back! Again, I'd like to apologize for the time in between publish dates. The end of summer has been stressful on me due to trying to finish up summer assignments for AP classes. School starts tomorrow though! I'd like to say that my schedule will free up a little, but it won't. I'm also extremely busy with marching band rehearsals. I know it seems like every time I publish I say sorry and give an excuse, but I really do mean it! Thank you all so so much for the attention you've been giving this story and thank you for being patient!**

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As we left the lounge we were in I could hear the brothers continue their quiet conversation, though they were doing a poor job concealing their voices. To be fair I did have a heightened sense of hearing. I think sometimes Nate forgot that about me.

"I'm serious, Sam," Nate said, "Flirting with her isn't going to get you anywhere. One time she decked a guy in a bar for calling her sexy." I remember that experience well. It had been an extremely long day and all I wanted to do was enjoy a couple of drinks with Nate and Elena. The asshat wouldn't stop making passes at me even though I was polite turning him down the first three times. He had obviously had too much to drink but that didn't stop me from calmly stepping down from my bar stool and planting my fist on his jaw anyway. He didn't get up off the ground before we left which was a solid half hour later.

Sam, however, didn't seem deterred by his brother's words in the slightest despite his response. He chuckled softly before replying, "Whatever you say, little brother." I made a mental note to tolerate Sam's flirting as long as they were all as nice of compliments as the one he had paid me earlier. For some reason I didn't mind it so much coming from him. To be honest I was perfectly alright with it as long as he was going to be a gentleman about it.

We had just arrived on the uppermost balcony directly above the ballroom floor where the auction was being held. I let my eyes roam idly over the stage where the podium and tables displaying the items up for auction were as I asked Sully, "So what did you want to sh…it." In the middle of my sentence I got my answer. The St. Dismas cross was already on display.

He responded with a single word, "Yep."

"Goddammit…"

"What's the problem?" Nate and Sam had finally arrived behind us in time to see the displeasure on my face as Sully gestured downstairs and said, "Take a look."

"That's Avery's cross." Nate said with a look of disbelief.

"They brought it out of storage just before you guys got here."

"How did you notice that?" I asked, " _I_ didn't even notice that. Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"You seemed a little absorbed in my story telling." Sully chuckled humorlessly, "You were a bit too lost in thought. I didn't want to interrupt you."

I waved a hand toward the other two, "You didn't mention anything about them being brothers, either."

"I figured Nate would have at least told you that much."

Nate raised his hands defensively, "Alright, alright. I think we can all agree that we've all had a lot on our minds lately."

"Yeah, like saving your _brother_?" A small smirk crept across Sam's face before it fell again, "They changed the lot order."

"Take a whole pile of cash to make that happen." Sully and Nate continued to talk in hushed tones over the many problems we now faced. The bidding would be starting soon and there were about a few hundred eyewitnesses down there. We needed a diversion, and quickly.

I was barely picking up on what the other two were saying now. I looked up from the spot my eyes were focused on and saw Sam lost in thought as well. He looked up and locked eyes with me. I gave him a wry smile which he returned and I could tell we were thinking the same thing.

"Well, if the guards see us make for that cross-"

I cut off Sully before he could finish his sentence, "What if they don't see us? Gentlemen, you've all been to prison before. If you want something dirty done then you wait-"

"For lights out." All three of them spoke in unison. Sam's smile got broader as he told me, "I like the way you think, Leigh Ann."

"Where's that electrical panel for this place?" Sully asked Nate. He pulled out a map of the estate and scanned over it before pointing it out to us, "That's it up here. So we just have to climb up there and kill the lights…"

"Grab the cross in the dark."

"There will be an emergency generator." Sully pointed out.

"We'll only have a few seconds of darkness to work with then."

"Meaning… we'll have to be right next to the cross when the lights go out." Sam continued my explanation.

"Except there's no way we can get that close without being noticed."

"Scusate, signore e signori." Sully's whisper was once again interrupted, this time from a voice behind us. We all turned to see a waitress offering a platter to us. "Antipasti?" The rest of us politely declined while Sam took an appetizer from her tray. "Hi. How are you?" he asked with the same roughish grin he had given me earlier. Great. He was just a flirt. Whether that would make it easier or harder on me I didn't know yet. The waitress turned and left with a simple, "Ciao."

Nate shoved his brother lightly on the arm, "Would you focus?"

"A waiter wouldn't get noticed." Sam ignored his question.

"That could work." Sully mused.

"That will work." Nate replied. "Alright. Alright, I'll get to the breaker room, kill the power."

"You mean I'm the waiter?" Sam questioned.

"You're the best pickpocket." Nate turned to Sully and I, "You head down to the floor, keep an eye on the prize, okay? Let us know if anything, uh… hinky goes down." Sully shared a grin with his pupil, "Roger that."

"Alright. Listen, we've still got this." Nate encouraged us with his small pep talk.

"Alright, follow me. We'll cut through the cellar." Sully said and he began to lead us through the estate once again.

I had to say, the place was really beautiful. I hadn't really taken in just how lovely the classic Italian architecture was earlier while Sully and I were heading upstairs. It's a habit of mine to lose myself in my surroundings and space out. I lose track of time easily and I had done it again. Before I knew it we had arrived at the door that led to the cellar.

"Here we are." Sully announced. Nate tried the handle and let out a disgruntled noise, "Oh, hell… it's locked."

"Shit, it was open earlier." Sully said before trying the door himself.

"Well, now what?" Sam asked, "Can we pick it?"

"No, it's electronic." Sully was about to speak again when the door opened and a waiter walked out. The four of us did our best to look as nonchalant as possible standing next to a door that led to somewhere we knew we weren't supposed to be. The waiter eyed us suspiciously as he put a keycard into his back pocket.

"Did you see that?" Sam asked us.

"Keycard, back left pocket." I replied.

"Yep."

"Alright," Nate said with a look of near triumph on his face. This would be easy, "I'm on it." He started to take a step after the waiter but his brother held out an arm to stop him, "Whoa, whoa, you sure you wanna do that? There's a lot of eyes out here."

Nate scoffed and patted him on the arm, "I think I can handle a simple lift." He walked around the ballroom floor for a couple of minutes silently tailing the waiter and having obvious difficulties pick pocketing him. I casually followed behind him and enjoyed the slight look of frustration on his face that he was having an equally hard time concealing. I stopped close behind him and whispered, "Need a little help with that simple lift, pal?"

He turned around and sighed at the smirk I was giving him, "No, no, just warming up is all." The waiter strode over conveniently close to Sam and I decided to stand next to him while I watched Nate's next attempt.

"Need a few pointers?" Sam remarked.

"Yeah, I'm tracking all your movements." I added and Nate gave both of us an annoyed look.

"I'm just a little rusty, is all." He explained and made one last try for the man's pocket, finally succeeding. "There, you see?" He said as he walked past us and quickly flashed the card from under his shirt sleeve before hiding it again. The three of us made our way back to the cellar door where Sully had been waiting.

"A pleasure to see professionals at work." He said as Nate rolled his eyes and unlocked the door. Sully reached into the pocket on his jacket, pulled out four earpieces, and offered them to us.

I told Nate and Sam, "Good luck." And they disappeared through the door.

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 **Note: I know my chapters are pretty short. Publishing lots of shorter chapters is easier for me. But if you(the readers) prefer to read longer chapters and don't mind waiting longer for them(even though I don't publish that frequently to begin with) I would be glad to comply!  
**


	5. Chapter 5- Auction

**Thank you again so much for being supportive of this story and thank you for being patient in between publish dates. I'm sorry this one was a particularly long wait. And I'm sorry to say that the next one might be longer.**

 **Friday morning two close friends of mine were in an accident involving a semi on their way to school. Thankfully one of them was released from the hospital the same day with only a concussion and a broken collarbone. The other was not as lucky. He was put into ICU and wasn't able to breathe on his own. He was declared brain dead and taken off life support yesterday. His final moments were spent surrounded by loved ones. I hate to burden you with this news, but I'd like to ask you to send thoughts and prayers to both of their families and all of their friends even if you're not religious. Someone somewhere will hear it and appreciate it.**

 **As of now I'm taking a short break from publishing. I will continue to write when I can, but it will be a while until you see an update. It was a struggle to finish this chapter.**

 **I'd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all my readers. I am so so _so_ thankful to all of you who have given the views, favorites, follows, and reviews this story has gotten. It truly means the world to me. I'm unashamed to say I love each and everyone of you. Never pass up the chance to tell the people you care about that you do care. Life is too short not to love. Hug your parents, siblings, partners, and friends a little tighter today.**

 **I'd also like to dedicate the rest of this story to Matt, who was an Uncharted fan. He was a great son, an awesome little brother, an amazing boyfriend, and a true friend to all. He will be missed dearly.**

 **GG Matt. Thank you.**

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We were once again at the part of a job I detested most: waiting. I found it hard to relax before the auction got started and was anxiously tracing my finger around the rim of my glass instead of actually drinking from it. Not able to find it in myself to talk to Sully, I settled for leaning against a table and watching the other auction-goers mill around. I had lost myself in thought again worrying about all of the things that could go wrong and I didn't notice the woman that had walked up to Sully until she spoke, "Hands in the air."

He turned around to see the dark-skinned woman pointing her fingers at him like a gun. She spoke with a soft smile and an English accent, "Hi, Victor."

"Hello, Nadine. Pleasure to see you again."

"Only this time, I've got the drop on you."

"Well, I guess I should be glad that's not a real gun."

She turned to me and held out a hand, "I don't believe we've met. Nadine Ross." I shook her hand and introduced myself.

"Hardly recognize you out of your fatigues," Sully said.

"Yeah…You know how it is. Every once in a while a job requires us to get all dolled up." I smiled in understanding. "Feel so out of place here. Can't tell you what a relief it is to run into another English speaker, even if you are American."

"You'll have to blame our parents for that one."

"I was on my way to the bar. Can I get you something?"

"Yeah, scotch on the rocks."

Nadine turned to me again, expectantly. "That's very kind of you, but," I paused and looked down at my untouched flute of champagne, "You know what? Anything harder than this. I really don't care," I laughed. She smiled and walked away.

My own smile fell and I crossed my arms, frustrated with myself, "Son of a bitch, why didn't I think of that?"

"What?"

"Wearing pants." Suddenly I heard some static and a lot of snickering through my earpiece.

"Nate. You catch all that?" Sully asked with a smirk.

"Yes I did… sounds like a lady's trying to buy you a drink," Nate talked while the snickering continued.

"Yeah, Nadine Ross is buying us drinks," I responded while rolling my eyes.

"Nadine Ross? Doesn't she own that army for hire? What's it called, Coastline?"

"Shoreline," Sully corrected.

"Thought you had a run-in with them?"

Sully gave a humorless laugh, "That's putting it mildly. Fortunately she does not seem to be holding a grudge."

"Alright, listen, we're all set here. You two stay out of trouble, okay?"

"We'll try," I responded, "I'd say the same to you but it's kind of pointless since you always find it."

"Yeah, yeah…" There was a final buzz of static and then silence from the other end.

It wasn't long after we ended our conversation with Nate that Nadine returned to where Sully and I were. She had her hands full with three glasses. I was surprised she hadn't dropped one of them. Sully took his scotch from her and thanked her before taking a sip. She offered me my own glass of cognac, "Here, you look like a classy woman and anything has to be harder than champagne, right?"

"Thank you," I said gratefully and took a generous drink. The warm, burning sensation felt much better than the tickling bubbles champagne usually had. Thankfully I could hold my liquor surprisingly well for a lightweight and hopefully it would only give me enough of a buzz to get through that night's events. Soon my glass of bright, amber liquid had been finished and we were all reveling in one of Sully's many Navy stories.

"I can't believe you got away with that," Nadine laughed.

"Oh, we did not," Sully chuckled as well, "No, we had our liberty taken away for a month."

"And what about the horse?" I asked more for Nadine's sake. I had probably heard this one a hundred times already. And Sully knew that as he answered towards her, "Fortunately we had a lot of carrots on board." I smiled off into the distance and saw Sam casually strolling around the opposite side of the floor. Sully followed my gaze and too saw him walking about in the same apron and red jacket the other waiters were wearing. I averted my eyes as I noticed Nadine turn her head to where we were looking.

"Recognize someone?"

"No. I thought I did, but no," Sully answered her flatly and gave me a quick reassuring glance before Nadine turned her head back again.

"Hey, when am I finally going to meet that partner of yours…Drake?" My breath hitched slightly at the mention of Nate's name.

"Well, that's ex-partner," Sully replied and she hummed in response, "No, I'd been flying solo for a while, but," he gestured towards me, "we're old contacts, thought I'd bring Leigh Ann up here for the auction. Drake's out."

Her eyes widened a little, "Oh. Like, 'dead' out?"

"Oh, no. More like retired. Last I heard he settled down, got married." The two shared an understanding look before another voice sounded from behind us.

"Well, then he might as well be dead, right?" The voice laughed and Sully and I turned to face it. We were met with the face of a man with tired looking eyes that were dull and devoid of emotion. His large smile appeared plastered across his face as he spoke, "Victor Sullivan! How the hell are you?"

"Rafe," Sully greeted and they shook hands.

"How long has it been? Ten years? Twelve?"

"Fifteen."

"It's amazing," he chuckled again, "All these years gone by, here we are- we're still haggling over dead people's junk." He smirked again and turned to me, "I don't believe I've had the pleasure- Raphael Adler. Rafe." Just another goddamn worry to add to the list. If this was the same man Nathan and Sam worked with there was a strong chance he was after the cross as well. Ah, who was I kidding? This was definitely the same man. The name wasn't exactly common.

I hesitantly reached my hand out toward his and very reluctantly introduced myself. I would've given anything in the world not to have Rafe know my name. If we were going to be working against each other I'd prefer not letting him have any information against me. He took my hand in his and brought it up to his mouth and placed a kiss on top of it, just like Sam had done. Only Rafe's was cold and unfeeling, where as Sam's was warm and sincere.

"Aren't you running your parents' business?" Sully questioned.

"My business now," Rafe's face fell into something close to a glare but immediately returned to a forced smile, "but yes, that is my day job."

"Ho ho. That is one helluva day job. You could probably afford to buy up everything on the block tonight."

"Well, sure…but what would be the point in that? These days I'm only looking for the good stuff. Big scores. Any advice on what I should pick up tonight?"

"Yeah, like I'd want to bid against him," Sully chuckled Nadine and I's direction as he motioned towards Rafe. I knew what he meant was more than a joke, though. There was no chance in hell we could let Rafe know what we were after. Sully lowered his voice and leaned in towards Rafe, "But, uh…just between you and me, I did notice they changed the lot order. I think somebody might be trying to rig this auction." His tone wasn't accusatory but I knew Rafe could tell what he meant.

Rafe nodded his head in understanding, "Well, remember where we are. This crowd didn't get rich by playing fair."

"Which is why you really need someone watching your back in a place like this," Nadine added, joining Rafe by his side, "Fortunately, you have Leigh Ann here." She gave a pleasant smile and looked to me. I tried to keep my face straight as I took in the entire situation.

"Ah," Sully sighed with a nod, "Well, I do hate to break it to ya… You are working for an American."

"With," she corrected, "We've partnered up on this one." Rafe tipped his glass in acknowledgement.

"I see. Talk about a power couple," Sully chuckled and I joined nervously. I realized I hadn't spoken in a while and even though I didn't know either of them it would seem impolite if I didn't try to make conversation. I was spared for another short moment when a women's voice sounded over the crowd, "In a few moments we'll begin bidding on our next item… an inlaid wooden crucifix from the Trott Estate."

"Well, I know when I'm a third wheel," Sully began, "You two kids have fun tonight. Come on, Leigh Ann." He turned to walk away and before I could start to follow him Rafe grabbed his arm.

"Just hold on, Sully. How'd you find out about it?" Rafe gave Sully a cold, knowing stare.

"It? Now what 'it' is that, Rafe. Nadine, I think your partner here has had too many Bloody Marys-" In a flash Rafe knocked Sully's drink out of his hand, sending shattered glass and scotch across the floor. The relaxed expression on his faced turned fierce as he took a step toward Sully and pointed a threatening finger in his face.

"Cut the bullshit, old man," he jabbed his finger into Sully's chest and heads started to turn our way, "Now I don't know how you scammed your way in here. But if you think…about bidding on Avery's cross, I can tell you exactly how you two are going to be leaving. In a _goddamn_ body bag-"

"Rafe!" Nadine interjected.

He seemed to come out of his enraged state and returned to mock geniality. He plastered another smile on his face and brushed off the shoulders and front of Sully's jacket, "Well, you get my point."

Sully nodded, his face expressionless, "Lovely seeing you both." He put a hand on my back and led me away from them.

My heart continued to beat rapidly as I looked up at Sully, "Do want me to get you another drink?"

"No, that's alright," he gave me a weak smile and squeezed my shoulder. "Nate? Nate?!" he lowered his voice to a whisper, "God damn it kid. Where the hell are you?"

In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best plan for Sully and I to separate in the crowd, but I needed some time to myself to think about what had just happened. I told him I was going to get another drink and that I would be watching the auction from the other side of the floor. I made my way over to the bar and asked for water. As much as I would've liked something harder to calm my nerves, I decided it was best not to get anymore buzzed, even though the small one I had was wearing off.

I thanked the bartender when he handed me a glass and turned to head closer to the stage. My drink was nearly gone when I stopped at a table and leant up against it. It was completely gone when I heard Sam's voice behind me, "Looks like you could use a refill." I turned to see his usual smirk. It was a relief to see his genuine expression after dealing with Rafe's feigned pleasantness. I smirked and eyed the tray he was holding out to me. Ah, what the hell. It was only champagne. As I took a sip the auctioneer announced the beginning of the bidding on the cross.

"I think that's your cue," I told him, "Good luck." He gave me a quick wink and left.

The auction had been going for a couple of minutes and Rafe seemed to be winning. I was growing continually more nervous when I finally heard Nate's voice crackling in my earpiece.

"Sam? Leigh Ann? Sully? You there?"

"God damn it, kid, where the hell've you been?" Sully's voice sounded on the other end as well.

"I made it. Had a few close calls but-"

"Yeah, well if you're gonna cut the power, now would be a good time."

"You think you wanna hurry up a little, please?" I asked, "I'm getting anxious here."

"Alright, well I'm gonna need a minute before I can reach the panel."

"We don't have a minute, Rafe's about to walk out of here with your cross," Sully sounded as agitated as I felt.

"Wait, what? Rafe? Rafe is here?"

"Yes, Rafe is here. And as of right now, he has the highest bid," Sam answered.

"Well, outbid him," Nate replied exasperatedly.

"With what?" Sully questioned and I could see him nervously chewing on his cigar from where I was, "I don't have that kind of scratch."

"Sully, we're stealing it, remember?" I reminded him.

"What if he calls my bluff?"

Nate sighed, "He won't."

The bid was raised to ninety thousand and Sam spoke roughly, "Guys, if we do not get this cross, I am as good as dead.

"Yeah, well I end up with the highest bid, we're all dead."

"Sully, I need you to buy me more time," Nate pleaded.

"Since we have no other bids," the auctioneer's voice rang out threateningly.

"Trust me."

"Going once…going twice."

"Ah, screw it," Sully raised his number.

"Bene! We have one hundred thousand Euros in the room. Thank you. Do we have any other bids?"

From where I was standing I had a perfect view of the murderous glare that Rafe was gave Sully before he raised his own number to bid again.

Sully sighed, "Well, in for a penny in for a pound."

"Don't worry, you'll be out of there in no time," Nate reassured.

"I better be."

Sully and Rafe engaged in a bidding war of epic proportions. Sully would wait until the last second to bid, giving Nate more time, but Rafe immediately put his own bid against him after. It was up to one hundred sixty thousand when Sam said, "Hey man. Starting to sweat bullets here."

"Yeah, gimme a sec!" Nate replied sounding annoyed. The bidding had reached two hundred thousand when he said, "Alright, boys and girl, I'm at the switch. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Sam answered, "Leigh Ann?"

"Let's get this over with," I could already feel my heart rate increasing with adrenaline, "Sully?"

"Just a sec," I saw him smirk and he raised the bid one last time. Rafe shot his arm up into the arm before the auctioneer was done speaking.

"Five hundred thousand. Let's get this show on the road here."

"Uh…thank you," the auctioneer said unsurely, "We have five hundred thousand Euros in the room. Does the gentleman wish to bid again?"

Rafe held his arms out expectantly, daring him to bid again. Sully raised his arm halfway and dropped it again in mock defeat. He waved his arms in an elaborate gesture as if to say, "It's all yours."

Rafe pointed at Sully with his bidding number and gave a fake smile as he spoke loud enough for the whole floor to hear, "Had me worried there for a minute, Victor. Thought I might have to kill you!" The rest of the people laughed at his grim joke but I wouldn't put it past him to actually do it.

Sully laughed quietly, "Okay, let's ruin this asshole's evening."

"Anyone else?" the auctioneer asked." Going once… going twice…Then I shall sell it for five hundred thousand-" Before she could finish her sentence the room was plunged into darkness. Confused murmuring came from the guests and as she told them to remain calm.

I jumped a little as I felt a hand slip into mine and heard a voice in my ear, "It's just me, come on," Sam said and pulled me away from the room. The last thing I heard before a door closed behind us was an angry yell from Rafe.


	6. Chapter 6- Getaway

"Sam, tell me you got the cross," Nate's voice came through our earpieces exasperatedly.

"I got Saint Dismas right here, you wanna say hi?" Sam turned back and gave me a smirk as he adjusted the cross under his belt with his free hand.

"Yeah, we've really kicked the hornet's nest down here. Ballroom's locked down, security's scrambling," said Sully. Hopefully he had gotten out of there as quick as Sam and I did.

"Hey, Sully, where's our getaway?" I asked.

"Come to the driveway out front, just follow the spotlights. I'll bring the car around."

"See you there. Be safe."

"Well, that went pretty nicely," Sam was still pulling me along a darkened corridor by the hand. There was a gleam in his eyes from the excitement of the unfolding events and I gladly returned with my own smile. We traversed the estate's many hallways quickly but cautiously. There were a few guests that hadn't been in the ballroom for the auction milling about and it would have been best not to attract attention to ourselves. Luckily they seemed more preoccupied with the fact that most of the lights were off and the ones that were on were only at half power. We had only just made it down a staircase and into an outside courtyard when the sound of gunfire could be heard in the distance.

"Ah, shit," was the only thing I could think of to say. Leave it to Nate to find trouble. We sped up our pace a little more, being sure to stay in shadow. Sam poked his head around a corner and then promptly backed up and pulled me against the wall. Two guards ran out from behind the corner and in the direction of the building that housed the power room.

"Nathan, what is going on?" Sam said into his earpiece after the guards were a safe distance away.

"I'm being shot at," Nate's words were mixed with static gunfire that echoed throughout the grounds.

"Told you, we should've brought guns."

"I know!" Nate sounded annoyed as though he had just lost an argument they'd had before. I couldn't help but laugh quietly to myself at the brothers' bickering.

It had been several minutes and we were almost halfway around to the other side of the mansion. Sam had shed his jacket by now and looked surprised to see that I was doing a fairly decent job of keeping up with him, even without the help he was offering. We had just made a particularly high leap over a wall when he asked me, curiously, "Where did you learn to climb like this?"

"College, I guess. The wellness center on campus had a rock wall. I used it just about every day."

"Well, it's pretty incredible. Especially since you're wearing a dress," he said nonchalantly, "How do you do it?"

"Ah, that's my secret. I'm wearing spandex shorts," I laughed. Those were making climbing much more comfortable since I wasn't as afraid of revealing anything under my dress. The only added difficulty was the heels I was wearing.

Our conversation was cut short by a guard that came waltzing out from under a nearby archway. He paused momentarily, stunned to see us. Sam took the opportunity to grab him and wrap an arm around his throat, choking him until he was unconscious. He then took the pistol from his limp hand and offered it to me, "I assume you know how to shoot. Knowing my brother, you've probably had to do it before, right?"

"I'm sure I'll remember," I sighed and took the gun from him. I just hoped I wouldn't have to use it anytime soon. Since I now had a weapon I decided to take point, stealthily leading us across the balconies and rooftops toward our destination out front. I peeked around a corner to see another guard heading our way. I turned back to Sam and silently motioned for him to back up. The sound of the guard's footsteps drew nearer and I reached out and grabbed him by his shirt. I spun him around the corner, one hand still holding him by the collar and the other guiding his head toward the wall. His face slammed into the brick and his body crumpled into the spot where Sam had stood only moments ago. His head lolled back and we could see a generous sized gash on his forehead that was already turning purple. There was also a small trickle of blood coming from his nose which was now crooked from breaking against the wall.

I took his gun and looked up to offer it to Sam. I was met with an expression of pure shock. He took the gun from me and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, "That was unexpected." His words were breathy and his eyebrows were still raised at me.

I couldn't wipe away my pleased smile as I retorted, "I'm not just a pretty face," hinting at the brothers' conversation I had overheard earlier.

"You'll hear no arguments from me, doll." I had deduced by now that Sam was no less than a shameless flirt. But his casual use of that pet name caught me completely off guard, reducing my usually confident self to a blushing mess.

The amount of guards now patrolling the grounds had at least doubled and it was getting increasingly more difficult to sneak around as we got closer to the main building again. We had already had some pretty close calls and I was beginning to worry we might have to shoot our way out soon. I was looking over a balcony to get my bearings when I heard Sully speak again, "Alright, I'm at the car. Where the hell are you guys?"

"Ah, just met your friend Nadine Ross. She's lovely," Nate sounded winded, "You were right, Leigh Ann, you should have worn pants. I just got my ass handed to me."

I had to stifle back laughter as another guard walked past the dark corner I was hiding in. Sam took him out as I asked Nate, "Are you hurt?"

"Just my pride."

"Yeah?" Sully spoke and I could tell he was smiling on the other end, too, "Well, it's total chaos out here. They're trying to keep it contained, but everybody's freaking out. I don't want to rush you, but hurry the hell up!"

"Nate, where are you right now?" I questioned.

"Good question, you?"

"By the ballroom. Look for this round sign thing, it's on the way," Sam answered.

"Round sign thing, check."

"Good news is, we got a couple of guns. See you soon."

The two of us continued our trek back to the front of the ballroom (and to hopefully find Nate along the way), weaving in and out of buildings and onto rooftops as convenient. We jogged up a staircase that led to a door with roof access.

"This should give us a good vantage point," Sam gestured toward the door with a small bow, "Ladies first." I smiled and rolled my eyes, but was appreciative of his gentlemanliness nonetheless.

We were now directly above the balcony I had been leaning over previously and across from the décor Sam had mentioned. The sound of gunfire had suddenly started up again, this time even closer. I looked over my shoulder in time to see Nate hanging from the sign and struggling to use it as cover from even more guards that had appeared. I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for the inevitable.

"Nathan!" Sam shouted, "What're you doing?"

"What's it look like?!" Nate yelled back, annoyed. Sam stood in front of me, blocking my path, and began to shoot back at his brother's aggressors with no luck. He hopped down to a lower, adjacent roof that was at a better angle for cover and I followed. I kept shooting at the men who had now focused their attention on us, trying to be careful not to waste any bullets.

Behind me I heard Sam yell again, "Nathan! Catch!" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sam's arm wind back as he threw his pistol to Nate. I downed one of the two men and not seconds after Nate had gotten the second.

"Nice shooting," Sam called, "You alright?"

"Yeah, hanging in there."

"Pun intended?" I asked with a smirk.

"Har dee har."

Sam laughed, "We can't get to you from here, you got a way down?"

"Yeah, yeah I think so."

"Okay, we'll meet you at the driveway, just head towards the ballroom."

"Alright, see ya there."

We looked over the estate trying to find a quick route to our destination. After realizing there really wasn't one Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Ah, shit. Now how do we get down from here."

"The fastest way is probably back through the ballroom," I mused.

"Thought Victor said it was locked down."

"It was," Sully piped in, "Now they know it's you guys they cleared the place out."

"Ballroom it is. You get that, Nathan?"

"Yeah, got it," said Nate.

We navigated through buildings, bobbing in and out of outdoor courtyards, and snuck around the now absurd amount of guards before the two of us finally made it back inside the mansion. Once we were on the ground floor I steadied myself for the shootout that was definitely about to take place. We stopped at a door that led into the ballroom and Sam turned to me, "You ready for this?" I swallowed and nodded, bracing myself as he opened the door.

What happened next can only be described as complete and utter chaos. Sam and I sprinted in different directions to get behind something. The second they noticed us the guards let loose with all they had. They were hell bent on immobilizing their targets and seemed like they didn't care what they destroyed in the process. Windows were being shattered, tables were upturned, and the podium up front was even knocked over and full of bullet holes. I popped out of cover for no more than two seconds at a time; quick to line up a shot, I focused on conserving my ammunition. We were doing our best to push them back but we were severely outnumbered.

"Nathan, we're pinned down in here!" I could barely hear Sam through my earpiece over the deafening gunfire echoing off the high ceiling, "We could use a hand!"

Nate's voice came even less audibly with more static, "On my way, guys!"

I had lost track of how many men I'd had to shoot. It was probably for the best, anyway. I had never been completely fine with killing and I found it hard to justify it with defending my own. The exact number of lives I'd ended since I'd met Nathan weighing down on me was most certainly something I didn't want to deal with. Lost in thought, I hadn't realized that one of the guards had snuck up behind me. He made the mistake of trying to tackle me instead of just shooting me. I felt a pair of hands grab my ankles and I was dragged to the ground. My arms were scratched up and down from the broken glass all over the floor as I hit the ground harshly. The man grabbed me by my shoulders and rolled me over to face him. As I wriggled free from his grasp I brought my leg up and kneed him right in the stomach. He gasped, desperately trying to suck in air and I got up from the floor. Before he could even bring his fists up I spun around on my heel (toe really) and brought my foot up to his head, kicking him straight in the temple.

After watching him fall to the ground I looked up and was met with the same look of shock Sam had given me when I had slammed the other guard into a wall. Momentarily stunned, Sam didn't notice the guard behind him, either. He grabbed him around his midsection and they struggled for a moment before I ran up behind them and stomped on the back of the man's knees. Sam was released from his grasp as the man collapsed to the ground and I kicked him in the side of the head for good measure. After checking to be sure that he was unconscious I pulled him down into cover and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, thanks." He was breathless but smiling, "That was also unexpected."

"What do you mean?" I questioned after popping up from behind our table to fire off a couple more rounds. The two of us kept conversing like this, sneaking out of cover, shooting some more, and then returning to the ground.

"Well," Sam continued, "you just didn't seem like the type of person who would know how to fight. And pretty damn well, I might add."

I beamed at his compliment. "I think you'll find I'm full of surprises," I told him promptly after downing a man over his shoulder.

"I'll bet," he smirked back, "Can't wait to see what you have in store for me." Once again I found myself taken aback by his flirtatious behavior and could only find it in myself to splutter at his comment. I was saved from having to awkwardly say something back when a window next to us shattered, sending glass flying in all directions as Nate crashed through it. He rolled to a stop next to us, practically landing on top of me.

"Jesus Christ!" Sam exclaimed, "Nathan?!"

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Oh, it's been going, alright," I answered, "Quite the entrance you made there. Care to give us a hand?"

With three of us now working to get through the ballroom, it was becoming slightly easier to clear out the guards. I was in the middle of reloading my gun when more static came through my earpiece, "Alright boys and girl, change of plan!" said Sully, "There's too many people trying to leave, the driveway's all jammed up."

"Shit, what's our back up?" Nate asked.

"There's that fountain just outside the ballroom. I'll meet you there!"

"Got it. Let's go."

The ballroom was now completely empty except for us, save for one man left upstairs. I raised my pistol and took one last shot, hitting him straight between the eyes. I grimaced as I watched blood spurt from his wound before he fell. Nate led the way to an open door that led outside before three more guards burst through it. We quickly took care of them, getting one each, and then ran outside.

The three of us took the steps of the grand staircase two at a time. The courtyard we were in would have been gorgeous if it weren't for the fact that the stone work of the pillars and statues was being ruined with bullet holes. I had poked around the corner of beautiful peacock when a bullet whizzed past my head, a little too close for comfort. I jumped back behind it when Sully spoke again, "Almost there!"

"Unless you're driving a hearse, you better hurry!" I snapped, my heart racing. Suddenly, there was a great crash and our getaway vehicle appeared through the gate on the other side of the fountain.

"Somebody call for a limo?" Sully asked as he honked on the horn.

Dodging bullets flying by me as guards continued to fire, I bolted for the car with Sam and Nate close behind. I slid into the backseat up to the window and watched Nate come in next, and then Sam. He quickly slammed the door shut and we all kept our heads down as the car was peppered with bullet holes.

"Go, go!" Nate shouted.

"Hang on!" Sully replied and he sped out of there and up the cobbled street. We smashed through one last gate and were gone.


	7. Chapter 7- Cross

**Hello, I'm not dead! I'm really sorry for not updating in so long and I'm sorry this chapter is kind of short. I wouldn't say I lost my motivation for a while, but I was writing in my head. Thank you all SO much for your continued support of this story and continuing to follow and favorite even though I haven't been updating. I'm not really sure when I'll be able to find time to write when the second semester starts, but I'll try! Think of this as your Christmas present from me. Thanks again!**

 **Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Joyous Kwanza, and a Happy New Year!**

The second we had gotten out of the final set of gates I leaned back in my seat and sighed in relief. The rush of adrenaline fueling me earlier had started wearing off and I could feel small aches in my calves and feet from all the running. Soon, an all too familiar pressing feeling was forming in my chest. I tried not to think about the chaos we just had to fight through and instead focused my energy on staring out the window. I hadn't realized my leg was shaking until I felt a hand rest on my knee. I turned to see Nate staring at me with concern.

"Hey, you doing okay?" he asked and I could see the worry in his eyes.

"Yeah," I replied with a weak smile, "I'll be okay. Just something I've got to get used to again." Nate knew very well I was never entirely fine with shooting other people. One of the very first experiences we had shared was of him handing me a gun while asking me if I knew how to use it. I had been taught by my father but I had never used one against another person, let alone needed to. Yet there I was in a boat off the coast of Panama shooting at pirates of all things and fearing for my life the whole time.

"Okay…I just want to say again how much I appreciate you doing this. Y'know, leaving your normal life behind for me. Aga-"

I held up a hand to silence him, "No problem."

When we arrived back at the hotel we headed straight for the room the men were sharing, but not before receiving many curious looks from staff and other patrons. I'm sure we all looked like hell. Nate and Sam's shirts were wrinkled and covered in spots of dirt. Their shoes which had once been shiny and polished now had scuffs all over them. My hair was disheveled and the bun felt like it was about to give under its weight. I had a few minor scratches up and down my arms and I could feel a bruise forming on my shoulder. Thankfully my dress wasn't torn anywhere, but the previously smooth satin was now dusty. Nothing a good steam and press wouldn't fix, though. The only one of us who looked neat was Sully, who had hardly seen any action.

"You sure you wouldn't rather go to your room and clean up?" Nate asked as he inserted a key card into the door handle.

"Come on, and miss this?" I replied. I had calmed down considerably since we had been in the car. Now I was much too excited to see what was inside the cross no matter how much I wanted to get out of my dress and into a pair of shorts. For the time being, I would settle for kicking off my heels.

We settled around the table and Sully brought out a bottle of liquor. He began pouring drinks but when he got to me I held up my hand. The other three finished their glasses and Sam reached for the cross in the center, "Okay," he raised his arm before looking up at us again, "I hope I don't go to hell for this."Nate and I smirked at each other as Sam brought the hammer down onto the end of the cross, breaking it open. He peered inside, still grinning at himself before his face fell, "Shit."

"What?" I asked, concerned.

"It's empty."

"What?" Nate echoed skeptically, but not without a trace of worry. A broad smirk appeared on Sam's face as he shook out a piece of paper from the cross. "Oh, you are such an asshole," scoffed Nate.

I lightly punched Sam on the arm, "What he said."

"Alright, skull and crossbones," Sully commented on the wax seal on the scroll, "Very good sign."

"That's Avery's insignia," Sam informed us. He unrolled the paper to reveal an elaborate drawing of a cross with two cutlasses. "Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso."

"Today you will join me in Paradise," Nate translated.

"That's what Jesus said to Saint Dismas on the cross," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but what about these numbers here," Sam slid the paper toward Nate, "What do you make of this?"

The two brothers talked back and forth for a minute, without much help from Sully, who was full of wit as usual. Eventually they deduced that the numbers were Avery's birth and death dates. Now we were looking for his grave at Saint Dismas' Cathedral.

"Wait a second," Sully interjected, "Hasn't Rafe been scouring that site for ages already?"

"Yeah, the cathedral. See these symbols?"

"They're Celtic," I said, "Usually found on old Scottish gravestones."

"Precisely, now look at this," Nate pulled a map out of his journal, "The layout of this place is really unusual. Here's the cathedral. But the graveyard," he pointed to a spot on the opposite side of the map, "is way over here."

"Rafe's been focusing on the wrong area," Sam said.

"Exactly."

"Does this mean we're going to Scotland?" I asked excitedly. Nate smiled at me. "Finally, I've always wanted to go!"

"Alright, alright, wait up," Sully was also smiling at me as he interrupted, "You do realize that Rafe knows you're coming?"

"Yeah," Nate sighed, "we can deal with that when we get there."

"That psycho would like nothing better than for you to show up. Plus he's got Nadine and her whole army to back him up!"

"But he doesn't have this. The biggest pirate treasure of all time is within our grasp."

I frowned. "I thought this was about saving Sam."

"It is. But come on, it's both, right? We need the treasure so we can save Sam."

Sully shook his head, "How is Elena cool with all this?" Nate looked away, guiltily.

"You didn't even tell her?" I questioned, "Jesus, Nate, after all you've been through together?"

"Look, it's just not that simple. She wouldn't understand this."

"Nate, you know that's not fair to Elena."

"Right," Sully added, "You are not giving her enough credit."

Nate sighed and looked at both of us desperately, "I can't take that chance." An awkward silence permeated the room. We all sat back and sighed. I sat contemplating what Nate was doing. Of all the stupid things he'd done, this was by far the worst.

Sam broke the quiet, "Nathan, they're right. Things have changed. Leigh Ann's obviously left a good life for you, Rafe's involved now… I can take this on my own. Really."

Nate paused and glanced at me before pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialing a number, "Well, thank you for your input. All of you. Excuse me," and he got up and left to the balcony. Again the silence was back. I watched smoke curl out of the end of Sully's cigar, not really noticing that I was picking at my nails.

"Something on your mind, dear?" Sam's words startled me before I realized they were directed at Sully. A tension hung in the air before he replied.

"Look, I um, I realize it couldn't have been easy," Sully began gesturing with his cigar, "All those years away. And I'm sorry for what happened to you. But it's not his fault."

"I never said that it was," Sam replied curtly.

"It took a long time for him to get out of this game."

"You see a gun to his head? He chose this. He's meant for this life."

"Well, there is one to your head," I started nervously, "Just saying."

Sam opened his mouth and closed it again, then sighed one last time. He probably would've liked to have kept arguing with Sully, but now that I was involved it seemed like he was fine with dropping it for now. And I was fine with that. I was perfectly content to pick fights and argue with people I knew well, but I had only just met Sam and decided it was best to remain as amiable as possible. The door to the balcony clicked open and Nate walked back in still on the phone. He finished his conversation with a "Love you, too," just as he sat down.

"Just told her that the job is gonna take a little longer than expected," he explained, "Which is the truth. Alright?" I stared at him in annoyance. "So come on, what do you say? Sam could still use our help."

"Well," Sully started, "I do hear that the weather is particularly fine in Scotland this time of year."

"Damn you, Nate," I folded my arms. The promise of a trip to Scotland coupled with the fact that I could never stay mad at him overpowered me. He grinned and poured the other two another drink. They toasted each other silently and drank somewhat happily while I shook my head in only partial frustration at Nate and myself.

"Well," I sighed and started to put my shoes back on, "I think a nice long shower is in order." I bade everyone goodnight and headed for the door. When I got to my room I immediately kicked my heels off again. I shed my dress and laid it neatly on the spare bed. It would have been impossible to find all the bobby pins I had in my hair so I removed as many as I could and let the rest fall out in the shower. The hot water felt amazing on my skin even though the many cuts up and down my arms were stinging. I stood there for what felt like a year pondering just what the hell I had gotten myself into. Again.


End file.
